44 things to do before I'm 45...

Last week was my 44th birthday and it got me thinking about just how quickly the last few years have whizzed by.

Whilst life is great, I’m happy and I’ve got the most incredible family who make me smile daily, I realised that I’ve spent the past 3 years just drifting through the whirlwind of trying to start my business, pregnancy and the joys of the baby stage again.

Whilst it’s been an amazing time, there’s been no real growth, very few conscious choices and my personal hopes and dreams have been very much left on the wayside.

One of the most poignant messages that I’ve learnt from my coach is that we CREATE our lives. We can’t blame other people or being too busy for how our lives turn out, we have to consciously create a life on our own terms. We have to make decisions, set intentions and be clear on what we want to make happen.

So this has led me to making the decision to really make my 44th year the year I commit to make things happen. And to do that I’ve drawn up a list of 44 intentions to complete within the next 12 months.

So here goes...

1. Finish my book
2. Get back in touch with old friends
3. Get really confident at doing facebook lives
4. Go to a family-friendly music festival
5. Learn to windsurf
6. Volunteer at a soup kitchen this Christmas
7. Talk to my parents and discover more about our family history before our stories are gone forever
8. Make meditation a daily practice
9. Make new friends in Dorset
10. Travel to Italy and explore off the beaten track
11. Go somewhere new every month
12. Do something special for my mum to say thank you for everything she’s done for us all
13. Have a thriving coaching practice
14. Write the letter of apology that I know I need to send
15. Go to Kethalonia and visit the Melissani lake
16. Learn to grow my own vegetables
17. Run a 5km race in under 20 mins
18. Learn to make the perfect raw vegan cake
19. Run my first retreat abroad
20. Take up yoga
21. Go to Ryjkevik and swim in the blue lagoon
22. Grab the tent and just go for away for a few days, no plans, no schedule, just explore and see where we end up
23. Explore all the national trust properties in the area
24. Have a picnic on the beach and watch the sun set
25. Fully explore the new forest
26. Learn to cook an amazing curry
27. Spend a day with no clock or technology and just enjoy the day as nature intended
28. See a live concert
29. Visit my extended family (all the people we only ever see at weddings and funerals!)
30. Have a weekend spa break with my friends (and not feel guilty for it!)
31. Teach my girls how to cook the basics
32. Explore Paris for a weekend
33. Learn to take a better photo
34. Read everyday
35. Paint a picture
36. Stop saying yes when I want to say no
37. Create a scrap book with my girls about their lives so far
38. Invest in becoming a better coach
39. Do a special surprise for someone I care about every month
40. Make ‘me time’ a non-negotiable (no matter how small amount!)
41. Eat clean the majority of the time
42. Drink 2 ltrs of water every day
43. Learn to make a delicious super-healthy green smoothie
44. Make my family feel so incredibly loved

I absolutely loved writing this list. It excites me and makes me feel like I’m actively creating what I intend to be my best year yet!

I’ll keep you updated with my progress, but in the meantime I’d really recommend asking yourself too “Are you drifting through life or CREATING it?...”